


To Thaw the Demon’s Frozen Heart

by HPFanGirl99



Series: Faustian Bargains [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), The Demon (DCU Comics)
Genre: M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-08-31 23:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20248558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFanGirl99/pseuds/HPFanGirl99
Summary: After what had happened with Glenda, he had promised himself that he would never fall in love again. That he didn’t want to get his heart broken after being forced to push them away for their own protection.Yet here he was. Again. This time, it was a human who possessed no special powers and put himself in danger every single night. A vigilante operating in one of the most dangerous cities around, who easily could die the moment a random thug got in a lucky shot.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks to Minikat, with their comment of "Dick is gunna fuck a demon I’m calling it" that inspired me. This is going to be very slow to update since I'm going back to college in two weeks. I'll try to update whenever possible, but please don't hold your breath.
> 
> Starts at the end of Magically Binding Contract, right after Jason hangs up the call with Dick.
> 
> Most of these 'chapters' are going to vary in length, from being short to long. It'll depend on what goes on.

**What makes you infer, that I am the one who is intrigued by the bluebird? **Etrigan irritably snapped out the moment he hung up the phone.

Jason Blood rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Come on, this is the most awake you’ve been in ages.”

After a few, Etrigan reluctantly said **I never realized, that it was common for solutions of this kind to be utilized.**

“It isn’t. I don’t think Nightwing had many other options available to him though,” Jason replied as he fixed himself a cup of tea.

Jason let out a relieved noise when Etrigan stopped talking, seeming thoughtful. Unfortunately, the demon could never stay quiet for long. **You know, if you ever need a couple of hours just to relax and/or rant with a cup of tea, you’re more than welcome to visit me,** Etrigan mockingly repeated.

“You’re not the only one who can rhyme,” Jason grumbled. “Besides, I doubt he’ll even remember.”

**Then there is the question, why ever did you make the suggestion?** Etrigan rather curiously asked.

Jason let out a tired sigh. “I don’t know.” Liar. He knew _exactly _why he had made the offer.

He was... lonely. From the very beginning, he had tried to isolate himself from the world. Well, technically he was never alone, but with a companion that he hadn’t asked for nor wanted. The centuries of living with the curse had slowly eaten away at his mind and soul. However, it was the price to pay if he wanted to prevent people from suffering horrible fates at the hands of Etrigan and the slew of problems he brought with him.

Solitariness was a far worse demon than the one residing in his body.

Jason shook his head morosely, before putting the entire matter out of his mind. Dick had better things to do than visit an old man like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all appreciate how much effort went into making sure Etrigan rhymes. Seriously, it is harder than I expected it to be.


	2. II

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that things got interesting. He had been rereading one of his favorite books late at night when his phone had rung. Jason tried to shove down the small surge of hope when the caller id revealed Dick was calling. “Hello?”

“Batman... the cops, they’re shooting on sight. Be careful. I’m not sure I’m gonna make it to the docks. I... got shot. Leg this time. Cops this time. It’s... bad...”[1] Jason felt a surge of alarm at how much pain Dick seemed to be in.

Jason bit his lip, something he hadn’t done in ages, before making up his mind. He had no idea if Dick had purposefully called him, or it was a complete accident, but he didn’t care. Dick was in trouble and injured, and the city needed as many of its protectors as possible right now with the gang wars raging about. The least he could do was patch the kid up before sending him on his way.

Jason could feel Etrigan stir in his mind, seeming interested. **You should look after his wellbeing, lest the bluebird ceases to sing.**

Jason raised an incredulous eyebrow. He could count on one hand the number of times Etrigan had shown concern over someone else. “What’s in it for you?”

**If you do this good deed today, another favor to you that he shall have to pay**, Etrigan cooed sweetly.

“I’m _not_ keeping score,” Jason irritably snapped out, before teleporting to where Dick was.

The moment he appeared on the fire escape ladder; Jason felt a surge of alarm. Dick was lying unconscious with a bullet hole in his leg. He carefully picked up the hero before quickly teleporting them back to his place.

Jason laid Dick down on the bed in his guest room, before grabbing his pocketknife and carefully cutting the costume up around the bullet wound. Good, it looked like it was a clean shot, with the bullet exiting the leg. He pressed a hand onto the wound, before chanting a healing spell in Latin. After a few minutes, he lifted his hand to reveal a thin scar where there had been the gaping hole in Dick’s leg.

Jason let out a relieved sigh, that was one thing taken care of. He lightly pressed a hand to Dick’s forehead and grimaced. The kid was running a huge fever, most likely caused by being in the icy cold rain. He pursed his lips in thought. He needed to get the kid out of his soaking wet clothes, but there was no way he was undressing him.

With a deep sigh, he carefully picked up Dick, before teleporting to the Batcave. The moment they appeared in the cave; an alarmed-looking Alfred Pennyworth approached him. “He somehow called me instead of Batman. I healed the bullet hole in his leg, but he’s got a fever. Tell the others to be cautious, he found out firsthand that the police have a shoot-on-sight policy for all masks.”

Alfred’s eyes went wide in horror before he gave him a grateful look. “Thank you so much, Master Jason.”

“It’s no problem. Where do you want me to put him?” Jason questioned.

Alfred frowned in thought, before nodding towards a small bed near the Batcomputer. “If you could put him over there, I would greatly appreciate it. It will be much easier to treat him down here.”

Jason nodded in agreement, before carefully setting Dick on the bed. He jumped ever so slightly when Alfred lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?”

“Thanks for the offer, but you should get to treating Dick. Perhaps another time.” Jason automatically replied. As much as he would love a cup of Alfred’s tea, he knew right now wasn’t a good time with all that was going on.

Alfred gave him an understanding look before he teleported back home. With a sigh, Jason grabbed himself a cup of tea before turning back to his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Nightwing Vol 2 #98


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally completed this chapter just in time to go back to college tomorrow! Just one and a half more years to go and I'll be free.
> 
> I'm playing fast and loose with how Etrigan works, since I'm not exactly sure of how he can communicate with Jason. I hope it's fairly accurate.

Jason startled when he heard a knock on the door about two weeks later. That was odd, most people just teleported directly into his house. It couldn’t be Batman since he preferred to just climb through his window. He cautiously went over to the door and looked out the peephole, and his eyes went wide.

He hesitantly opened the door to reveal Dick. “Hey! Is your offer of a cup of tea still available?”

Jason blinked in surprise before he felt something warm in his chest. “Of course.”

He opened his door to let Dick in, before heading towards his living room. He smiled at how Dick slowly trailed behind him, a look of awe on his face as he looked around. He always enjoyed watching people’s reactions to seeing his house for the first time, with everything he had collected over the centuries.

Eventually, Dick made his way to his living room, before carefully sitting down on the couch.

“How do you take your tea?” Jason asked.

“With lots of sugar,” Dick cheerfully said.

Jason headed off to the kitchen, before preparing two cups of tea. He raised an eyebrow but dumped a lot of sugar in Dick’s cup anyways. He couldn’t help but wonder what Alfred would think of Dick’s habit of ‘ruining’ tea, being British and all.

He preferred nothing in his tea since it had been hard to find milk and sugar when he had lived on the outskirts of society centuries ago. By the time he had better access to them, he’d gotten used to drinking plain tea. People were creatures of habit, and he certainly was no exception to that, having many more years than most to develop them.

Once the tea was all set, he brought them out to the living room. He handed Dick his cup, who took it with a small thanks. He curiously watched as Dick took a sip and didn’t even grimace at the sheer amount of sugar in it. He shook his head ever so slightly, before taking a drink from his own cup.

“Thank you so much for healing my leg. I probably would’ve been on crutches for a couple of months if you hadn’t.” Dick beamed at him as he took another sip of the tea.

Dick’s grin was contagious, as he couldn’t help but return it. “You’re welcome. I’ve heard you’re not exactly a model patient when it comes to bed rest.”

Dick threw back his head and laughed, his eyes gleaming. “I’ve had to be tied down to a bed on more than a dozen occasions. It’s my acrobatic blood, I just don’t like staying still for long periods of time.”

Jason hid a smile behind his cup of tea. He’d noticed that Dick had constantly been in motion back when he had asked for help with Owlman. He’d been pacing, wringing his hands, tapping his foot, and practically vibrating in place. As it was, right now Dick’s legs were bouncing ever so slightly, which he doubted Dick realized was even occurring.

He had assumed it was partly out of nerves and just how Dick normally was. He hadn’t been distracted by it since Boston Brand acted similarly whenever he was possessing people.

“So, what now? Are you going back to Bludhaven now that the current crisis is over?” Jason curiously asked after a bit of companionable silence.

He frowned when Dick’s face fell ever so slightly. “I... I think I need some space from Bludhaven right now. I’ll probably just stay here for a while.”

Jason couldn’t shake off the feeling that something other than the Owlman debacle had happened in Bludhaven. As much as he knew he shouldn’t dig around, he _had _to know. He had unwittingly become invested in Dick’s life, and he knew it was going to bother him until he found out.

Most likely, Dick was all broken up over what had happened to his apartment. It was a real shame, hearing about the death of his friend. He’d lost touch with John Law _years_ ago, and to think he’d been in Bludhaven all this time... Then again, Dick was probably feeling guilty over all the people in his apartment being murdered by Blockbuster’s associates.

He’d start his investigation with Law’s predecessor, who went to jail for killing Blockbuster. He’d bet that the crime boss’s death had also played a role in things. Had Dick been there the night of the murder? Watching a man get murdered in front of you, no matter how much they deserve it, had to be traumatizing.

**I know what occurred with the bluebird. **Etrigan sweetly purred out. Jason had to fight back a scowl at the smugness he could sense radiating off of Etrigan. Right, Etrigan had the ability to look into the past, didn’t he? Then again, the demon had so many different powers and abilities it was easy to forget some of them. Half of the time, he couldn’t even remember all that _he_ could do.

“Damn it, don’t tell me. For once, I want to find out something on my own, without you spoiling the mystery.” Jason irritably muttered under his breath.

It took him a moment to realize he had just spoken that out loud, and mentally swore. The one main thing that people had trouble getting used to when first meeting him was how he communicated with Etrigan.

He had tried long ago to silently respond to Etrigan inside his mind, but it had come at a cost of nearly driving him insane. He had his limits, and they were going for years at a time without hearing a single human speak. Even if it was only hearing his own voice, it was enough to keep him somewhat sane.

At least one advantage to living in Gotham was that not as many people batted an eye when he appeared to be talking to himself. Good old Gotham, we’re all halfway insane here, Jason wryly thought.

“Sorry, I’ve gotten in the habit of responding to Etrigan out loud,” Jason apologetically explained.

To his surprise, Dick seemed fascinated. “Can he use your mouth to speak with his voice? Or can he only talk inside your head?”

Etrigan _could _‘possess’ him and use his mouth to speak while he retained his body, but they’d learned not to do that. A few forced exorcisms during the middle ages had quickly cured them of that habit when people heard Etrigan’s deep, evil voice come out of his mouth. How ironic that they had been correct in their assumption that he was possessed by a demon. Although he had been rather disappointed at the time that the exorcisms hadn’t been successful, in hindsight he’d come to appreciate how hilarious the whole thing had been.

He said as much to Dick, who grinned in amusement, clearly finding the idea as funny as he had. Jason smirked at the irritation that came from Etrigan, who _definitely _hadn’t enjoyed the exorcisms.

He was pretty sure Etrigan had ensured that those priests had ended up in hell out of sheer spite. He’d learned a long time ago that demons were very prideful creatures who easily held grudges at the smallest slights.

At Dick’s expectant look, Etrigan let out an annoyed grumble of **What do you take me to be, a one-trick pony?**

“Come on, I know you like to show off,” Jason teased with a grin.

After a few moments, Etrigan let out a long sigh, before taking control of his body. **“It’s a pleasure to see you again, my little bluebird. I would much prefer to properly meet you if only my host would deign to say the magical word.”**

Jason distantly noticed that Dick looked delighted to hear Etrigan’s voice.

“No, absolutely not. For once, I am having a nice day. Transforming into you will ruin it.” Jason snapped out once he regained control of his voice.

Etrigan seemed amused at his annoyance, before responding like normal in his head. **You need to learn how to share, for you to hog the bluebird all for yourself is rather unfair.**

“Excuse me? You’re one to talk.” Jason felt a surge of irritation at the comment about sharing. “Besides, he’s already seen you years ago when he was still Robin.”

Etrigan momentarily went quiet, clearly looking through his memories in search of the incident. **But h-**

“No,” Jason firmly cut Etrigan off, smirking at the spike of rage that he felt at interrupting the demon. He knew he’d regret it later but couldn’t find himself to care right now. “This isn’t up for debate. With the way you attract trouble, you’ll inevitably have to show up.”

To his relief, Etrigan huffed in annoyance but backed down, obviously sensing that he wouldn’t be able to convince him. Sometimes, he wondered who out of them was more stubborn. Honestly, he had a feeling it depended on the situation. Then again, he’d had a _great _teacher.

All of a sudden, he remembered that Dick was here. “Sorry,” he sheepishly said.

Dick merely grinned at him, seeming amused. “I assume you two argue a lot?”

Jason let out a long sigh, ignoring Etrigan’s snicker in his head. “Trust me, we’ve gotten much better over the centuries.”

Dick gave him an understanding look before they went back to quietly drinking their tea.

After a few minutes, there was a soft beeping noise. Dick pulled out his phone and looked at it, before slumping in the chair. “Son of a -... Are you kidding me?” Dick grumbled under his breath, which he was able to hear perfectly due to his enhanced senses.

“Duty calls?” Jason sympathetically asked.

Dick ran a hand through his hair, seeming exhausted. “Unfortunately, crime never sleeps and neither do I.”

“Well, my door is always open. Of course, I almost never leave here, to begin with.” Jason softly said.

Dick gave him a blinding grin before quickly finishing off his cup and bounding to his feet. “Thanks for the tea! Don’t tell Alfred, but yours is almost as good as his.”

“I’ll definitely take that as a compliment.” He didn’t know how the butler did it, but somehow Alfred was able to make tea even better than he could. 

Dick laughed; his eyes gleaming. “See you around!” he cheerfully called out, before leaving.

“See you around,” Jason softly echoed, a faint smile curling his face as he watched Dick disappear into the night.

**Well, my door is always open**. Etrigan mocked cruelly in his head after a few.

Jason grimaced as he got up and closed the window Dick had opened in order to exit his house. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Jason let out a low sigh, before picking up Dick’s teacup and taking it to the kitchen in order to wash and put it away.

He couldn’t help but bitterly wonder if Dick would ever visit again or completely forget. He shouldn’t get his hopes up and set himself up for disappointment in the more likely case of the latter occurring. He knew Dick was very busy with his civilian and superhero lives.

Ah well, at least he had gotten one visit out of helping out Dick with the contract. Better something instead of nothing. It should stave off his loneliness for a couple of months at the minimum.


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I was, thinking that Dick and Etrigan/Jason has never really interacted before. Ding dong, I was really f***ing wrong. 
> 
> JLA #69, 71, 73, 75, and 76! The JLA is trapped in the past (long story), so Batman’s contingency plan is activated: a temporary JLA team led by Nightwing. Jason is one of the people handpicked since Batman wanted a magician on the team.
> 
> I’m really pissed off since I could’ve made mentions to this event a few times, but it’s too late for that. Oh well. I’m just going to pretend that that never happened. 
> 
> ANYWAYS......... Another chapter is up. I said that Tarantula would get what’s coming to her. Hopefully, my chapter of Tarantula's fate will be up soon!

“Have you ever come to our _lovely_ establishment before, Mr. Marks?” The guard questioned as they walked down the prison corridor about a week later.

Jason shook his head. While he had gone to plenty of other prisons, he’d never visited Blackgate Penitentiary before. In his quest to find where the new Tarantula was being imprisoned, his search had led him here.

“You here for a conjugal visit?” The woman suddenly asked, sounding half-serious, half-joking.

Jason went bright red as he started spluttering, which caused Etrigan to start roaring in laughter.

The guard chuckled wryly. “Guess that answers that question.”

“Apparently, Miss Flores and I have a mutual friend who I haven’t seen in years. I heard a rumor that he’s was murdered, and I was desperately hoping she could tell me that he’s _not_ dead.” Jason got out once he managed to regain his composure. A little white lie, since he already knew what had happened to John Law; but they didn’t need to know that.

The guard gave him a sympathetic look. “Well, you can’t stay for more than an hour, you’ll be informed 5 minutes before the time limit is up. All visits are video recorded, standard procedure. Press the big red button by the door when you want to leave.”

“Got it.” The rest of the short trip was spent in silence before they stopped at a solid door.

The guard opened the door, and just before he went to walk inside, she rested a hand on his arm. “Good luck. I hope your friend is still alive.”

“Thanks,” Jason softly said, before he entered the room, the door slamming behind him. He calmly walked sat down opposite of Flores, who was chained to the table.

His eye twitched at seeing her wearing Law’s costume. He had a feeling Law hadn’t given her permission to take on his vigilante identity.

“Well, hello handsome. What’s your name?” Flores sweetly purred out, looking thrilled at the idea of someone visiting her. He doubted a lot of people came by to see her.

“Hello, Miss Flores. I’m Matthew Marks.” Jason said after a moment.

Unfortunately, all this cloak and dagger business was necessary. If Jason Blood was seen visiting a prisoner, he’d have Batman on his doorstep within the hour asking nosy questions.

He had chosen alias of Matthew Marks, inspired by Glenda’s and Harry’s last names. He also had magically changed his appearance, so he had brown hair and eyes. Hopefully, the name and look should be common enough not to raise too many questions. Plus, he found it ironic that he, the host of a demon, was using on the names of two of Jesus’ disciples.

Flores laughed, seeming amused. “Please, Matthew, call me Catalina. What brings you here?”

Jason lightly rubbed the back of his neck, putting on the appearance of nervousness. He discretely put a spell on Flores that would loosen her tongue and prevent her from lying; along with preventing anyone from hearing their conversation.

“I was a friend of your predecessor, John Law. Is he really...?” He forced himself to break off at the end as if he couldn’t complete the sentence.

“I’m sorry, Matthew. He died when the apartment building that he was living in was blown up.” Flores softly said, seeming genuinely devastated at Law’s death. Then again, she had probably looked up to him as a hero and inspiration.

“Blown up?” Jason allowed a worried tone to enter his voice.

Flores launched into the tale of Blockbuster’s campaign against Nightwing after a moment of hesitation. Jason felt himself growing more and more shocked at hearing what Dick had been put through by the late Blockbuster.

No wonder Dick needed a bit of space from Bludhaven. His circus had been burned down. His apartment building had been blown up. His girlfriend had been manipulated into breaking up with him. Dick had practically been isolated as everything he cared about was taken from him. Christ, just having _one _of those things happening to an ordinary person would be enough to traumatize them.

But having all that happen just after the whole Owlman debacle? He was surprised Dick was able to function like a normal human being. Then again, maybe Dick was just really good at compartmentalizing things and using humor as a coping mechanism.

Jason’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly when Flores finally stopped talking. There was just one last thing he was curious about. “Tell me what happened the night Blockbuster was murdered.”

Flores happily smiled, before eagerly recalling what had occurred.

Some of the pieces of the puzzle start to come together now. No wonder Dick seemed off. He knew Batman’s code, that by not doing anything to prevent someone from dying, it was just as bad as pulling the trigger yourself. It didn’t matter that Blockbuster deserved his fate; Dick should’ve done everything he could’ve to save the crime lord.

“What happened after you killed Blockbuster?” Jason warily asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

Flores let out a low sigh, seeming sad. “Nightwing seemed to go into shock, before stumbling outside. He kept apologizing, saying it was his fault, that he failed me, Batman, and himself. I tried to comfort him, reassuring him that it was all over, that Blockbuster couldn’t hurt him anymore. When that didn’t work, I took care of him.”

Jason felt a surge of dread. “How did you take care of him?” He knew he wasn’t going to like the answer.

At the poisonous words that started coming out of Flores’ mouth, Jason’s mind went briefly blank. He almost lost control, before he forced down his rage with the ease of centuries of practice. He could feel Etrigan eagerly stroking his anger, but he couldn’t tell if the demon was truly upset at what Flores was saying or not.

To his utter relief, Flores eventually stopped talking. Jason hesitated ever so slightly at the urge to slide into her mind to see what had really happened, before berating himself. He didn’t need to view her memories; it was an extremely private moment that Dick would never want anyone to witness.

Jason stood up, his body faintly trembling at the struggle to hold in his emotions. He barely remembered to cast a spell on Flores that would make her forget about her response to his last question.

If he had a somewhat clearer mind, he would’ve gone about manipulating her memories. However, considering he was having trouble keeping things under control, wiping out the last couple of minutes was the best he could do.

Jason ignored Flores’ bewildered requests to come back as he made his way over to the door. He pressed the red button with slightly more force than necessary, his eyes burning. After a moment, the door opened to reveal the same guard as before.

Jason exited the room and grimaced at the pitying look on the guard’s face. Evidently, he wasn’t doing as good of a job of concealing his emotions as he had hoped.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” the guard softly said, seeming truly sympathetic.

“Thanks,” Jason choked out, before quickly clamping his mouth shut before he said a _special _phrase.

Luckily, the guard seemed to sense that he wanted to leave quickly since she started quickly walking towards the exit. He needed to get out of here _now_ before he did something he would regret.

Jason made it out of the prison and into a side alley before hastily transporting back to his house. The moment he appeared in his living room, he crumpled to the floor, letting out a scream of frustration. He dug his fingers into his hair, trying to ground himself with touch.

How. Dare. She. How dare she hurt Dick like that. And the worse part was that she clearly didn’t feel any remorse for what she did. Had she bragged about what she’d done to anyone? Hopefully not. That would be disastrous for Dick if she had and word got out.

Jason flinched when Etrigan’s voice suddenly purred into his ear. **All you have to do is say the magical phrase, and I’ll ensure that what she had done upon the bluebird that thrice she pays.**

“Why do you care?” Jason spat out, trying to ignore how tempting the offer sounded right now.

The question caused Etrigan to momentarily pause, seeming to ponder his answer. **I don’t. **

Jason wasn’t too surprised at how cold and blunt Etrigan sounded. He’d quickly learned that demons didn’t exactly have morals. He was pretty sure that there were almost no evil and horrific acts that Etrigan _hadn’t_ done at some point.

Him on the other hand? Despite regularly witnessing unimaginable horrors, there were still a few things he didn’t tolerate. One of those was _rape_, which Flores had definitely done to Dick.

For the longest time, he’d never really formed an opinion on it, due to it being fairly common in the ‘chivalrous’ days of knights. It wasn’t until he’d had to comfort Constantine after what had happened to him that he’d truly understood how horrific the act was. It had taken all his self-control not to give Swamp Thing and Abigail a stern ‘talking to’ after what they had done to John.

Etrigan let out a faintly impatient noise, breaking him out of his thoughts. **Yet I’ve been in Hell for quite a long spell. I’m sure that without a doubt, you remember what happened the last time you neglected to let me out? **The demon’s voice turned sugary sweet and persuasive, although there was an undercurrent of anger present.

Jason tiredly scrubbed at his eyes. The aftermath of the ensuing massacre he had woken up to was permanently seared in his memory, as were many other things. As much as he hated to admit it, Etrigan had a point. The longer Etrigan stayed in Hell, the worse his rampages became when he finally allowed the demon to roam the Earth.

Jason managed to get to his feet before making his way to his chair and collapsing into it. “Fine. But I don’t want Dick knowing about this.”

Etrigan let out an amused snort. **We create a magical clone of the lady spider. Although this would be much easier if you’d gotten some hair or blood from her...**

“Well _sorry_ for not having the foresight to do that.” Jason rolled his eyes at the condescending tone that Etrigan had taken on.

Nevertheless, he began turning the idea over in his head. A clone could work. He already knew what cell Flores was in, and somewhat of the general layout of the prison. He’d have to go back another time to steal some DNA from Flores, which would give him a chance to see what kind of protection Blackgate had against magicians.

Jason froze midway through his planning. Was he really going to do all of this for Dick? By the time he was finished, by his estimates he will have broken about a couple of dozen laws. Not exactly out of the ordinary, but still. He normally wasn’t one for getting revenge unless someone seriously wronged _him_, not others.

Countless people over the centuries had asked for his help in magical matters. But he hadn’t gone out of his way to unleash the demon on someone who had hurt them. And he’d met many rape victims before but rarely had gotten the urge to hunt down their attackers and make them pay. So, what was different this time?

There was just a certain _something _about Dick that put his protective instincts into overdrive. But why? Why had he gotten the urge to make the offer that Dick could visit whenever he wanted in the first place? He didn’t think he’d ever done that before.

Dick _had _visited him, but he assumed that was because he had fixed his leg. After all, the polite thing to do in Dick’s situation would have been to drop by to at least thank him. But Dick hadn’t left after doing that. He’d stuck around and appeared to be fascinated by Etrigan. He had sensed no ulterior motives in Dick wanting to learn more about the demon, unlike most people he encountered.

In fact, he’d gotten the feeling that Dick had been legitimately disappointed in been called away by Batman, and that he would’ve stayed around longer if he hadn’t. And the way Dick had said ‘see you around’, he seemed to genuinely mean it and hadn’t just said it as a formality.

But would Dick have visited if he hadn’t healed him up? He would have liked to think that Dick would’ve at least _once._ After all, from what he’d heard, Dick was a pretty honorable person who always paid back the debts and favors he owed people.

So, was he going to let Etrigan kill Flores out of gratefulness that Dick had decided to stop by? There _was_ the possibility Dick would never visit him again.

After a moment of contemplation, he firmly decided yes, he was going to do this. If not for Dick, then at least for John Law. She had stolen Law’s costume and tainted the good superhero name of Tarantula. While Law wouldn’t have liked the idea of him murdering Flores, he couldn’t find himself to care.

Plus, it meant one less murderer and rapist in the world, one that hopefully none of the heroes would miss. That was always a good thing, he reasoned with himself.

**Make your excuses, my beloved knight. Whatever justifications help you to sleep better at night. **Etrigan mockingly cooed, seeming amused.

Jason scowled in irritation at the taunt, which caused Etrigan to snicker in his head. Reluctantly, he got up from his chair and headed to the basement. He grabbed a few books on the way down, before setting them down on the potion stained and fire-charred table in his workshop with a loud thud.

Jason slowly exhaled, before cracking his knuckles and getting to work. He had a prison breakout to engineer.


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! This is up much faster than I expected, but I've been procrastinating on the little homework I actually have right now. Maybe with this chapter done, I can actually start working on it. Unlikely, but hope springs eternal. 
> 
> Finally, Tarantula gets what's coming to her. I just wish something like this happened in the comics. 
> 
> Don't worry, the action will pick up soon and things will get much less dark. Hopefully. I'm not exactly sure where this will take me.

Jason let out a relieved sigh, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Finally, after three days of almost nonstop work, he had finished creating the clone of Flores. He’d had to make multiple secret trips to Blackgate in order to get the necessary things from Flores.

It had taken a lot of obscure spells and potions, but the clone had Flores’ memories and personality. It was also spelled to fade into the background and not stand out as much. If someone noticed she seemed off, well, prison changed people in unexplainable ways.

He was planning on in a month or two to visit Blackgate again and cast a spell on her cellmate that would plant the idea in their head to kill the clone. People got murdered in prisons all the time, hopefully, nobody should raise any eyebrows.

After this was all finished up, he was going to have to pay a visit to Batman and let him know of the appalling lack of magical defenses the prison had. He had literally been able to teleport in and out without anyone being the wiser.

Luckily, he had made a point of occasionally testing the magical defenses Gotham had over the years (aka whatever he set up). Batman shouldn’t be too suspicious over him checking out Blackgate. After all, the better protected Gotham was, the less Batman had to deal with it since his dislike of magic was legendary.

Plus, he had a foolproof way of dealing with Batman. All he had to do was just keep rambling and going on side tangents until Batman got so impatient and frustrated that he left. Constantine and Zatanna had laughed hysterically after witnessing him do that once to Batman.

He was pretty sure it was part of the reason Batman mostly left him to his own devices. As long as he kept his frequent magical problems from affecting Gotham too badly, Batman wouldn’t have to deal with him. Especially since he had purposefully cultivated a reputation as being rather chatty with visitors.

Jason took a deep breath, bracing himself for the task ahead. It was now or never.

He picked up the clone, before teleporting to Flores’ cell. Immediately, he cast a spell that put everyone in the cellblock in a temporary mild sleep and one that briefly blacked out the cameras.

He grabbed Flores, carefully placed the clone on the bed, and switched their outfits using magic.

Once that was done, he teleported back home to the room in his basement specifically designed for whenever he let Etrigan out. He’d learned long ago that one of the few ways to keep the demon somewhat under control was to occasionally let him out to kill people.

Of course, it had taken him a couple of hundred years to discover that. The first few centuries had been spent struggling to keep the demon contained, preventing Etrigan from destroying everything he set his eyes on. Once they’d come to a somewhat temporary truce, he’d realized the possibilities he had at his disposal.

Demons _loved _condemning people down to hell, so it wasn’t like Etrigan had been opposed to the idea, to begin with. It was the only way he could think of in order to put Merlin’s curse to good use, to make Etrigan clean up crime.

Plus, _technically _it wasn’t his fault if they were killed. Etrigan was a bloodthirsty demon, it was guaranteed that there’d be death and destruction wherever he went. And if a couple of people died in Etrigan’s wake, well, it wasn’t like he could control the demon’s actions.

Alright, so that was his way of rationalizing letting the demon out. It somewhat worked. _Somewhat_.

But he couldn’t just sic Etrigan on an innocent, he’d never forgive himself if that happened more than it already did. No, he had to make sure he was damning people who were already going to end up in hell. Society tended not to miss the murderers, rapists, and drug dealers; so that’s what he normally went after.

He used to grab people from Gotham, just for the sake of convenience. Not anymore, since Batman tended to get upset when Gothamites randomly disappeared. Somehow, on the rare occasions he hunted in Gotham, Batman _always _found out.

While Batman understood why he did it, it still didn’t spare him from the man’s irritatingly self-righteous rants. Then, Batman would proceed to keep an annoyingly close eye on him for a couple of months. Satisfying the demon’s rage wasn’t worth the hassle, hence why he now went to random cities to hunt there.

Jason was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed Flores start to stir. Good, it was showtime. He brought up the appearance of ‘Matthew Marks’, before casting a spell of invisibility over himself. He watched eagerly as she hesitantly got to her feet and started looking around in confusion. After a few moments, he decided to reveal himself.

“Good evening, Catalina,” Jason purred out.

Flores spun around to face him, and immediately looked relieved. “Matthew?”

“My apologies for misleading you, but my name isn’t Matthew Marks, and this isn’t my real appearance.” Jason lightly buffed his fingernails on his jacket.

“I... ok? Then who are you?” Catalina asked in bewilderment.

Jason elaborately waved his hand, causing the disguise to disappear. Alright, so he had a _little_ bit of a dramatic streak. Sue him.

“Jason Blood, at your service.” If he had a hat, he would’ve tipped it at her.

He watched in amusement as Flores stared at him in surprise before she smiled flirtily at him. “Well, Jason, thank you for getting me out of there.”

A cruel smirk curled his face. “Trust me, by the time we’re finished with you, you’ll _wish _you were back in prison.”

“W-what do you mean?” Ah, _there_ was the fear he had been waiting for.

Jason started calmly walking forward, causing Flores to immediately scramble backward until she hit the wall. He braced his hands against the wall on either side of her head, so their faces were inches apart.

“You touched what’s _mine_. There are consequences for doing that,” Jason spat out, anger starting to well up in him again.

Flores stared at him in confusion, causing Jason to sneer. “First off, you tainted the name of a good man, John Law. Second off, and more importantly, you _hurt_ Nightwing.”

Flores’ jaw dropped, before she puffed up, seeming angry. “I didn’t harm him!”

“You know full well what I’m talking about.” Jason hissed. “Do you _honestly _think he was in any condition to stop you?”

Jason was about to say something else when Etrigan let out an irritated noise in his head. **The night had already begun, and I refuse to let you have all the fun.**

“Shush. Just let me have this moment, I rarely get the chance to monologue anymore. You’ll get your turn soon enough,” Jason scolded in exasperation.

“Who are you talking to?” Flores hesitantly asked.

A slow grin curled his face. Oh, that was one of his _favorite _questions from his soon to be victims. The looks of horror and terror when he revealed who he was addicting. “How old would you estimate me to be?”

“W-what?” Flores got out, seeming confused by the change in topic.

“How old would you estimate me to be?” Jason patiently repeated.

Flores bit her lip, obviously thinking over the question. Probably was scared to offend him by guessing too high of an age. “40?”

Jason couldn’t stop the hysterical laughter that escaped his lips. If it was anyone else, he would’ve been flattered. “You’re off by _centuries_. No, I’m about 1,500 years old.”

Flores’ eyes went wide in shock. “How is that possible?”

“In the 6th century AD, Merlin bound me to Etrigan, a demon, making me immortal.” Jason shrugged ever so slightly before his voice turned bored. “But enough about me, let’s talk about you. In a few minutes, I’m going to release the demon, he’s going to kill you, your soul will be condemned to hell, end of the story. Sounds good?”

Flores seemed momentarily stunned before she started to panic. “No! You can’t do this! Someone will -”

“There’s currently a clone of you in your prison cell. _Nobody _will miss you or notice you’re gone.” Jason coldly spat out.

A determined look crossed her face as Flores opened her mouth. Before she could get a single syllable out, Jason cut her off. He really wasn’t in the mood for his eardrums to be damaged today. “Don’t bother screaming for help. The basement is soundproofed.”

Flores stared at him for a long time, before her face fell. She slowly slid down the wall and curled up into a ball, the fight draining out of her.

Oh, this was the best part, when his victims realized there was no escape from their fate. He crouched down and tilted her face upwards, so she could look him in the eyes.

After a moment of thought, Jason carefully wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Shh, don’t cry. It’ll be over relatively quickly,” Jason cooed mockingly.

**Why do I get the feeling I am being ignored? I am starting to get rather bored. **Etrigan whined after a few.

Jason let out a low sigh. “Fine. I’m finished with my soliloquy. She’s all yours.”

Etrigan made a happy noise, seeming eager. Jason got up, before standing in the middle of the room. “Just one request.”

Etrigan hummed, seeming curious. **Whatever it is you desire; I shall do my best to acquire. **

A slow smirk curled Jason’s face. “Make her suffer.”

**Gladly, **Etrigan immediately responded.

Jason exhaled, before sinking to his knees. “Gone! Gone! The form of man! Rise, the Demon Etrigan!” The last thing he saw before everything went black was the look of terror on Flores’ face.

Jason let out a low groan as he slowly came to. The first thing he noticed was the smell of death overpowering his senses. Jason cracked open his eyes to reveal that the room was painted a dark red.

Jason had to bite back a sigh at the all too familiar coppery taste in his mouth. He carefully got to his feet, before waving his hand to get rid of the blood. Why was he the one always left to clean up the messes Etrigan made? At least there wasn’t a body this time.

**The deed is done, and the battle has been won**. Etrigan purred out sweetly, his presence in his head contented and satisfied.

“Good.” Jason spat out, slowly making his way to the bathroom. “Is she...”

Etrigan snorted in amusement, seeming faintly insulted. **Do you not know me that well? She is currently being tormented in the depths of hell.**

“Had to check,” Jason tiredly responded as he turned on the shower. He stripped out of his bloodstained clothes, which he spelled into his fireplace in order to destroy them.

Jason relaxed under the icy cold streams, watching detachedly as the water was tinged pink by the blood clinging to his skin. Once the water turned clear, he got out and changed into comfier clothes.

He went down to the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea, before heavily settling down in front of the fireplace.

After a bit of quiet, Etrigan finally spoke, his voice exasperated. **I would like to query, as to what is with the long face? I thought you’d be rather cheery, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. **

Jason grimaced at the question. To be honest, he was feeling rather conflicted.

He definitely was satisfied at knowing that Flores couldn’t hurt Dick or anyone else ever again.

But at the same time, he knew the shit would hit the fan if anyone found out. Dick would be rightfully horrified and upset about meddling in his life. Batman would proceed to do some digging as to why he did it, which might result in him finding out about the contract Dick had made with Owlman. That would be _disastrous_.

**You could always plea, that the one to blame is not you but is me. **Etrigan got out after a few.

Jason raised an eyebrow, before nodding after a moment of thought. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d used Etrigan as a scapegoat, and he doubted it would be the last.

He should be surprised at the offer, but at the same time, he wasn’t. He’d noticed Etrigan tended to be _slightly_ more cooperative and agreeable after being let out to play.

Jason sighed, before spending the rest of the night staring pensively into the flames, not unlike the ones he’d been surrounded by in hell only hours earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My rhymes are getting fancier and more complex. I actually had to ask someone to look and see if one of the rhymes made sense. This definitely has been a rather fun challenge though.


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how this happened, but half of the stuff I've written is obscure pairings. Dick and: Jason Blood, John Constantine, and/or Floyd Lawton. There are literally only one or two other fics of these that I've been able to find so far. Never thought I'd be doing this, but life is wierd.
> 
> I got the idea to pair Dick with John after reading Grayson #3. Besides, Dick deserves a chance to have fun once in a blue moon, instead of angst city.

Jason idly hummed under his breath as he made his way through the House of Mysteries.

He had gotten the idea years ago that the main magical users should have an informal get together once in a blue moon. There, they could relax among their own ‘kind’, catch up with each other, and rant about their problems. 

Ok, so it was mainly an excuse to see other people that somewhat ‘understood’ what he went through. To his surprise, it had become a regular thing, normally occurring every other month. Depending on what was going on, attendance ranged from barely anyone to over a dozen people.

As he stepped into the living room, it seemed that today was the former; since only Zatanna and John Constantine appeared to be here so far.

“Jasey!” John eagerly cried out, looking utterly relieved to see him. Jason wasn’t too surprised to see a cigarette and a glass of beer in John’s hand.

Jason’s lips twitched in amusement at the nickname, before he made his way across the room and sat down in one of the chairs. “Hello, Zee. I hope John hasn’t been bothering you too badly.”

Judging by the irritated look on Zatanna’s face, John was currently being his rather annoying self.

“No more than normal.” The tension bled out of Zatanna as she blew some hair out of her face. “You let the demon out recently?”

Jason shot them a wide grin. “It was getting to be that time of the month again.” He had to bite back a laugh when John sprayed out the mouthful of alcohol he had been drinking.

“Really Jason? You’re likening _him _to a woman’s menstrual cycle?” Zatanna looked outraged.

“I don’t see why not. It fits rather accurately. I turn into a horrible monster, it’s an extremely painful transformation, I experience violent mood swings, and I always end up cleaning up tons of blood afterward.” Jason smirked at Etrigan’s roar of laughter in his head at the comparison.

John snickered once he managed to stop choking on his drink. “If you ask me, I think that’s a bloody brilliant analogy.”

“I think you’d enjoy hearing about this ‘outing’ later on.” He gave John a significant look, before briefly glancing over at Zatanna. John grimaced ever so slightly, before nodding in agreement.

He’d love to tell John now, but he knew Zatanna wouldn’t be thrilled at hearing him describe a prison break in excruciating detail. She was more of a real ‘superhero’, while he and John were more morally ambiguous.

As a result, they had to be kind of careful about what they said in front of her. They’d learned _that_ the hard way years ago after the Justice League kept finding out about their ‘activities’. It hadn’t been too difficult to figure out where the information leak was coming from.

Although it was somewhat frustrating, they understood where she was coming from. They didn’t _shun _her, per se, they just were more cautious around her. Luckily, Zatanna was really the only magical being that they had to be wary of since the rest weren’t as noble and heroic.

“So, Zee, how’s things been with you?” Jason curiously asked.

Jason relaxed in the chair as he listened to Zatanna recall her latest adventures with the Justice League. An amused smile curled his face when John kept butting in; which caused Zatanna to keep angrily retorting back.

**Although this may seem amiss, I think they really should just kiss. **Etrigan suddenly purred out, seeming amused.

A bark of laughter slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. Almost immediately, John and Zatanna looked over at him, seeming moments away from getting into a fistfight.

“What’s so funny?” Zatanna irritably snapped out.

Jason struggled to keep a straight face as he managed to get out, “Well, it involves a duck, since we think the two of you should just go and fu-”

He was cut off by John slapping a hand over his mouth. “Very funny, Jasey.” John snapped.

“You asked,” Jason said with a shrug.

John and Zatanna looked at each other, before making identical horrified faces and scowling at each other. Well, it looked like that answered that question.

Just as Zatanna opened her mouth, most likely to make a rude comment about John, there was a soft buzzing sound. She took her phone and looked at it, before letting out a long sigh and getting up.

“I gotta go. It was nice seeing you, Jason.” Zatanna called out over her shoulder as she headed out of the living room.

“It was nice seeing you too,” Jason responded.

John rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. “What am I, chopped liver?” he grumbled.

Zatanna giggled at that, before closing the door behind her with a bang.

John muttered grumpily about women under his breath, before giving him an eager look. “Now that _she’s_ gone, is it story-time yet?”

Jason smirked at him. “Definitely.”

To his amusement, John conjured up some popcorn and kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

Jason rested his arms behind his head, a cruel grin curling his face as he enthusiastically started talking. He carefully made sure not to make any references to Dick or say Flore’s name, out of respect for Dick’s privacy.

Once he finished, John shot him a cold smile. “Good. I’m glad the bitch is dead.”

“Me too,” Jason agreed.

They sat in companionable silence for a few, before John grinned at him. “You know what we should do?”

“No,” Jason said flatly. He was not in the mood to get mixed up with whatever hairbrained scheme John had dreamed up of. Besides, he had a feeling he knew exactly what John was about to ask.

“We should go to a nightclub and dance!” John’s eyes were gleaming in amusement.

“Absolutely not.” He wouldn’t be caught dead in a million years on a dancefloor making a fool of himself. The closest he’d get to one was sitting at the bar getting drunk.

“Come on Jasey! It’ll be _fun_.” John whined.

Jason opened his mouth, before closing it. Clearly, turning down John wasn’t going to be enough. He’d have to think of something else. “You know, there’s a nice bottle of whiskey with your name on it back at my house.”

John hesitated, seeming conflicted. “Just how old are we talking about here?”

Jason pursed his lips as he mentally recalled what was in his extensive alcohol collection. “300 to 400 years old. I might even throw in an expensive pack of Cuban cigars with it.” Come on, take the bait.

“What’s the catch?” John warily questioned.

“We don’t go out to the club and dance,” Jason said with a smirk.

John stared at him for a moment before pouting. “Damn it, Jasey. I hate you.”

Jason let out a relieved sigh as he got to his feet and started walking out of the room. “Come on.”

John gave him an irritated glare, before following suit. Once they exited the House of Mysteries, they both teleported themselves to Jason’s apartment.

The moment he made it back into his house, Jason stiffened ever so slightly, sensing another presence in the building other than him and John. He warily made his way to the living room, before stopping dead in his tracks at who was there.

His mind went briefly blank as his breath caught in his throat. He lightly pinched his arm, in order to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating at the sight of Dick looking at his ‘museum’ of artifacts.

_He’s here, he’s here, he’s here_, was all Jason could think, as he felt a surge of elation. Although he should’ve known better, he’d had the faint doubt that Dick would forget all about him and never visit again. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

Etrigan huffed in his head, seeming exasperated. **I told you it would only be a matter not of if but when; that the bluebird would visit us again.**

Jason rolled his eyes at the smug tone Etrigan had taken on. Damn know it all demons that could see into the future. “Shush.”

Dick immediately spun around at hearing him with a bright smile on his face. “Hi, Mr. Blood! I would’ve returned later, but there was a note on your door that said to just come in. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine.” Jason pursed his lips, debating as to whether he should do it or not. After a moment of thought, he decided why not? “And I’d rather you call me Jason. Mr. Blood makes me feel old.”

Dick looked faintly startled to hear that, before beaming at him. “Of course, Jason. I’ve been admiring your museum here; it really is amazing.”

A faint smile curled his lips. Most people said that to be polite, but Dick seemed genuinely fascinated by his artifacts. “Thanks.” It took him a moment to fully process what Dick had said before his eyes went wide in alarm. “Did you touch anything?” 

“Of course not. I’m not stupid enough to handle magical artifacts without the owner around just in case something happens.” Dick had a bewildered and faintly insulted look on his face.

“You’d be surprised.” Jason raised his voice loud enough for John to hear from where he’d left him in the entryway. “Some _idiots _like to rummage around in my collection, completely forgetting that I have extensive protections over them.”

As if on cue, John stumbled into the doorway. “You called?”

Jason gave Dick a knowing look, causing Dick to laugh. He turned to John, about to make introductions, only to suppress a groan.

John was staring at Dick, seeming entranced. Oh boy, Jason thought in exasperation, flirty John had just arrived. One thing was certain, things were about to get interesting.

John ran a hand through his hair, before putting away the cigarette hanging from his mouth. “I think I’ll take a raincheck on the whiskey and cigars,” he murmured lowly, before swaggering towards Dick. Jason let out a sigh, before crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe to watch the potential train wreck in progress.

John stopped about a foot away from Dick, before sticking his hand out. “_Hello_, luv. John Constantine, at your service.” John purred out, a lecherous grin on his face.

Dick raised a confused eyebrow, before hesitantly shaking John’s hand. “I’m Nightwing.”

John smirked, before lifting Dick’s hand up to his lips and lavishing a kiss onto the back of it. Dick went bright red, seeming caught off guard by the action.

“If I recall correctly, you have an unusual name?” When Dick opened his mouth, John quickly said “No, don’t tell me. It’s... Dick, right? Richard Grayson?”

Dick blinked at John, before nodding. “Y-yeah.”

“Well, _Dick,” _John cooed sweetly “what’s a pretty thing like you doing hanging around Jason?” John reluctantly released Dick’s hand, but not before kissing it again.

It took Dick a few moments to regain his composure as he clutched his hand to his chest, seeming flustered. “I needed help with a magical problem, and afterward Jason told me I could come by anytime I wanted to visit.”

John twisted around to give him an incredulous look, obviously surprised to hear that. He sent a sharp glare back, hoping John would get the message and not say anything. He wasn’t sure if Dick knew he didn’t exactly make that offer that often. If Dick found out, he might feel pressured to visit more, which he didn’t want. He wanted Dick to come here out of his free will.

“Wanna go on a date with me?” John asked, sending Dick a flirty grin.

Jason was touched when Dick immediately glanced over at him, seeming hesitant. Jason suddenly smirked when a thought came to mind. “See John, Dick is a _much_ better person to take dancing. I mean, could you _imagine _seeing me at a modern club?” He adopted a persuasive tone of voice, his eyes gleaming.

John looked outraged. “Are you trying once again to evade the inevitable?”

“Is it working?” Jason said with a cheeky grin.

John pursed his lips in thought, before huffing. “Don’t know why I’d want you to come with me, you’d cramp my style. Besides, I bet you dance like a white boy.”

Jason was utterly bewildered by the insult. “I beg your pardon?”

Dick giggled, seeming amused. “It’s a stereotype that white people aren’t good at dancing.”

Jason raised a confused eyebrow at that, John knew that wasn’t true. He was highly skilled at most types of ballroom dances ever invented, both those still around and lost to the ages. After a moment of thought, he realized John was probably referring to the more modern ‘dancing’ seen at clubs by young people.

Dick gave him another searching glance, and he gave him an encouraging smile. He had the feeling Dick could use a night off to have some fun.

Dick hesitated, before shrugging ever so slightly. “Why not? We’ll make the front cover of most of the major gossip rags in Gotham though. Someone tipped them off as to the location of my favorite bar, so they stalk it out every weekend.”

“I love appearing in the newspapers.” John eagerly proclaimed, causing Jason to snort. As much as John preferred to stay in the shadows, he never turned down a chance to be on camera.

John hummed, seeming thoughtful, before leering at Dick. “Can I kiss you?” At the startled look he got from Dick, he chuckled lowly. “Don’t want to be accused of being anything but a perfect British gentleman.”

Dick blinked in surprise before a smile curled his face. “Yes.”

Jason felt a surge of exasperation when John moved closer to Dick. “For god's sake, John! No making out with anyone in my living -” John quickly swept Dick into a kiss, “room,” he trailed off in irritation.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, before pointedly looking at the ceiling as he patiently waited for them to finish.

“Sorry,” Dick apologetically said once he and John broke apart, seeming embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it.” Jason smiled reassuringly at Dick, before leveling a dirty glare at John. “The ‘perfect British gentleman’ on the other hand, I’ve had to tell _multiple_ times not to do anything in my house. You _think_ he’d have learned by now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” John gave him an innocent look, before turning to Dick. “Come on, luv. Why don’t we briefly go to my place to figure things out?”

“Sure,” Dick said softly, before beaming at him. “I’ll come back and visit another time.”

Jason shrugged ever so slightly. “Whenever you have the chance, it’s no big deal.”

**Liar, **Etrigan mockingly snickered, which Jason resolutely ignored with the ease of practice.

“Brace yourself, teleporting can be rather disorienting,” John warned, practically pulling Dick flush against his body before they both disappeared.

Jason let out a relieved noise the moment they left.

He pursed his lips, unsure as to whether he should spy on them later on in order to see how things were going, before ultimately deciding not to. John would somehow find out about it and kick his ass if he did, which he really wasn’t in the mood for. Besides, it was extremely rude and an invasion of privacy.

He sighed, before heading to his cellars and grabbing a bottle of alcohol. He always needed a drink after dealing with John. Somehow, he always managed to get a headache that ranged from mild to intense depending on how frustrating John had been. Luckily, today was the former. At least it should be a while before John tried bugging him again about going dancing, Jason wryly thought.

Jason took a slug straight from the bottle, before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He made a mental note to get copies of all the Gotham newspapers tomorrow morning out of sheer curiosity. He quickly finished off the entire bottle, before stumbling upstairs and passing out on his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The accompanying story of Dick's and John's date will be up soon. I might get a chapter or two of this out before the date fic, but it will be up as a separate fic. Zatanna will have a purpose in the next chapter, she isn't just a one and done couple line appearance.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this took longer than expected. I'm going to finish up "I'm Ready" before I do any more with this. Besides, it'll give me time to come up with ideas, since I'm not sure where this will go next.

Jason let out a low groan as he slowly woke up to the sensation of being roughly shaken. “_Go away_, John,” he muttered irritably into his pillow. There was only one person who would dare to come into his bedroom and do this to him.

Cold laughter met his ears before he was turned onto his back. He reluctantly cracked his eyes open to see a smug looking John staring at him. “What do you _want_? It’s way too fucking early for your bullshit.”

“It’s noon,” John said with a grin, before handing him a small bottle. He hesitantly sniffed at it, before quickly drowning the hangover potion.

“There’s never a good time to deal with you,” Jason grumbled as he sat up in bed, already starting to feel better.

John only smirked at him, before becoming serious. “Well, Dick and I realized that Zatanna’s going to be furious when she finds out we fucked; since he’s her ex.”

All the color drained out of his face, and if he hadn’t been awake, he certainly was now. **Oh, dear**. Etrigan got out after a moment, seeming worried.

“‘Oh, dear’ is an understatement. You might as well start planning your own funeral, John.” Jason grimaced at the thought of an angry Zatanna. “But why can’t she explode at your place?”

John grimaced, seeming resigned. “You know _all_ logic goes out the window the moment Zatanna gets emotional. She’ll be upset at you for even _letting_ the date occur.”

Jason let out a low sigh. “Fair point.”

“Dick is currently dealing with Batman, who he’s insistent won’t be too mad. Once he manages to escape, he’ll call me up and we’ll figure out how to break the news to Zatanna.” John seemed worried for Dick, and he honestly couldn’t blame him for that.

“Sounds good.” Jason scrubbed a hand over his face. “Make yourself at home in my living room like you normally do, and I’ll be down in a few.”

“Okie dokie,” John cheerfully said, before leaving his room. Jason reluctantly got out of bed, before taking a quick shower and changing into new clothes. He went downstairs and groaned when he saw that John had gotten into his expensive collection of Cuban cigars.

Once he sat down in his favorite chair, John pouted ever so slightly at him. “_Come on_, Jasey. How long have you been keeping that _cutie_ all to yourself? You promised you’d let me know when you meet any smoking-hot singles.”

“I never said anything of the sort.” Jason sighed, although his lips were twitching. “Besides, you’ll fuck anything that moves. I can’t call you every time I meet someone.”

John grinned shamelessly at him, clearly not offended by the accurate statement.

Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation before his curiosity got the better of him. “So, how was the date?”

John gave him a wide grin, looking happier than he’d seen him in a long time. “It was _amazing_! We danced practically all night long, the sex was great, we had a nice heart-to-heart, and he made breakfast in the morning.”

“Hold up, Dick _made_ _breakfast_? Who are you and what did you do with the real John Constantine?” Jason incredulously asked, and Etrigan let out a curious noise. That sounded extremely un-John like, that he’d actually _stayed_. John was _notorious_ for never sticking around after having sex.

“It’s complicated.” John shrugged ever so slightly, before giving him a curious look. “So, that girl that you broke out of jail for Etrigan to kill. Her name wouldn’t _happen_ to be Catalina Flores, now would it?”

Jason froze in horror, his eyes going wide. _Shit_. How the hell had John found out about that? Even _he _wasn’t supposed to know about her. At the hard look on John’s face, he reluctantly got out “Yes.”

John stared at him for a while, before giving him a cold smile. “Did she suffer?”

“Immensely.” Jason hesitated ever so slightly, before warily asking “How do you know?”

“Dick and I talked a bit.” John narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at him. “He also told me ‘bout how you helped him with Owlman.”

Jason tensed up at the faint accusatory tone to John’s voice. “Look, I didn’t have much of a _choice_. Apparently, Nightwing’s just as stubborn as his mentor when it comes to outsiders meddling around in ‘his city’. He needed a magician and _fast_, and his options were limited_. _Raven or Zatanna would never agree to help, and we both know they’d immediately alert Batman and/or the JLA. It was really either me or you, and he didn’t _have_ the time to find you.”

John dryly laughed, seeming amused. “_Relax_, Jasey. You don’t need to explain yourself, I’m not upset. I’m just glad you were willing to assist him.”

Jason let out a relieved sigh, ignoring John’s smirk. He _really _wasn’t in the mood to get chewed out by both Zatanna _and _John today, especially since he couldn’t remember the last time that he’d seen John truly upset.

“Did you get rid of the clone?” John curiously asked.

Jason nodded, he’d returned to the prison a week ago and put a spell on Flores’ cellmate that compelled her to want to kill her. It had taken less than a _day_ for the woman to do his dirty work for him. Already, she was in an unmarked grave, where nobody would miss her.

“Good. I’m glad you got to her first; it’ll make things easier for me. Now, I don’t have to waste my time on her, and I can spend it on the other _bitch_.” John’s voice was bored, but there was barely repressed anger beneath the surface.

Jason felt his heart sink. “Don’t tell me...”

“Yeah.” John looked _pissed_, and for good reason.

Jason slumped in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dick didn’t seem to be able to catch any breaks.

**Inform trench coat that he ought to converse with my aunt, the knowledge he seeks I am positive she shall be willing to grant. **Etrigan got out after a few.

Jason blinked in surprise, before relaying the information to John. John shot him a cruel smile, looking thrilled. “Tell your better half I owe him _big_ time. Yeah, that makes sense. If I survive the day, I’ll go see her.”

They sat in silence for a few, before John started lowly chuckling. Jason raised a curious eyebrow, and after a moment John elaborated. “Nightwing’s bloody _brilliant _at inspiring loyalty among those he befriends. I mean, he’s only visited you a couple of times and already you’ve killed for him. I’ve known him for less than 24 hours and I’m currently making plans to kill for him.”

Jason pursed his lips in thought. John had a point there. There was just _something _about the charism that seemed to ooze from Dick that he couldn’t put his finger on. “I don’t know how he does it, but he obviously didn’t learn those skills from Batman.”

They looked at each other for a moment, before snickering. Just as John was about to say something else, his phone rang. John grabbed it, before grinning and answering it. “Hello, luv. You still alive?”

Laughter came from the other end of the phone. “I _told _you B wouldn’t be angry. He simply asked me if I had a good time, and that was that.”

Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise. That sounded very unlike Batman, that he’d actually be _fine_ with his eldest son fucking someone like _John_.

“Really?” John got out, seeming shocked.

Dick let out a sigh, seeming kind of irritated. “When I asked him why he wasn’t more upset, he said, and I quote, was ‘Is Constantine a mercenary with a body count in the triple digits?’. At my response of no, he just gave me a deadpan look before drawling ‘Then that’s an acceptable person to have sex with.’”

John smirked, before purring out, “Well, I’ve got a body count in the double digits, if you know what I mean.”

Dick giggled and Jason had to resist the urge to facepalm. “He seemed legitimately ok with it. Now Zatanna...”

“Yeah, I don’t have a bloody idea how to gently tell her.” John slumped in the chair, seeming worried.

The three of them stayed quiet, trying to figure out something. After a few, Dick broke the silence. “What if I were to call her? She won’t immediately suspect anything.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Can you stay on this line just so I can hear it? I’ll mute my phone,” John got out after a moment.

“Sure thing.” There was the sound of buttons being pressed on the phone before the line started ringing. After a moment, Zatanna picked up. “Hey, Boy Wonder! How can I help you?” Her voice had a flirty tone to it.

“Hey, Zee! I don’t know why you’re always saying that John Constantine is a horrible person. He seems pretty nice.” Dick cheerfully said.

There was a long pause. “And why is that?” Zatanna sounded worried and confused.

“Oh, because I went on a date with him!” Dick exclaimed.

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone, and Jason was pretty sure Zatanna had stopped breathing. “_What_?” Zatanna gritted out in horror.

“See...” Dick started eagerly babbling on about what had happened, sounding happy. Clearly, Dick had enjoyed himself, which Jason wasn’t too surprised about. Just because John could be difficult and a pain in the ass, didn’t mean he didn’t know how to show his dates a good time.

Eventually, Dick stopped talking. “Zee? You ok? You’re kinda quiet,” he hesitantly asked, seeming worried.

There was silence for several seconds. “Where is John right now? Are you still at the House of Mystery?” Zatanna eventually gritted out in a dangerous voice.

“Me? I’m in the Batcave right now. I dunno where John went, think he said something about catching up with Jason. Why?” Dick had adopted a confused tone that couldn’t hide his wariness.

“I...” Jason couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen Zatanna speechless, and she was pretty unflappable. Well, finding out 2 of her exes had hooked up with each other would be pretty upsetting.

“I have to go do something. I’ll see you in a few, alright? There’s something I need to discuss with you privately.” Jason shuddered at the low, furious edge to Zatanna’s voice. Oh boy, she was definitely _pissed _off.

“Ok...” Dick sounded nervous, and for a _very _good reason. He’d had to have seen Zatanna get angry at least _once _while they’d briefly dated. “I’ll... ah... talk to you later then, Zee.”

Zatanna let out a low sigh. “Bye,” she snapped out, before hanging up.

They sat in silence for a moment. “Hey, am I invited to your funeral?” Dick hesitantly asked.

John let out a shaky laugh. “Sure thing. I’ll text you when she finishes up here to let you know if I’m still alive.”

“Got it. I’ll let you know when she’s done with me. See you.” Dick swallowed, before hanging up.

Just as John was pocketing his phone, Jason felt Zatanna’s magical signature appear in his house. “JOHNATHAN CONSTANTINE!” she shrieked as she stormed towards the living room, her boots loudly clicking on the floor.

John let out a small whimper, his eyes wide in terror as he shrank back in the chair. After a few moments, which felt like an eternity, Zatanna appeared in the living room. She looked _furious_. “I leave you alone for _24 hours_, and you manage to seduce Nightwing! _Nightwing! _He’s off-limits!”

John instantly stood up; his arms crossed over his chest. “Oh yeah? Since when has Nightwing been ‘off limits’?”

“He’s one of my exes! You can’t have sex with them!” Zatanna snapped out.

Jason raised an eyebrow at that but refrained from commenting that it was a rather ridiculous idea. Then again, John and Zatanna always managed to bring out the worst in each other.

John sneered at her. “News flash Zee, you _can’t _tell me what to do anymore. I might’ve listened to you while we dated, but we’re _over_. I can fuck _whoever_ I want. Nightwing ain’t with you anymore, so that makes him _fair game_.”

Jason had to fight back the urge to sigh as they continued to argue with each other. However, he knew the moment he made a noise; he’d become a target.

Eventually, after what he’d estimate was about a solid 5 to 10 minutes of arguing, Zatanna turned towards him. “And you! What the hell was Nightwing doing at your place?”

Jason let out a small groan but refused to stand up and properly engage with her. “I told Nightwing he could visit me whenever he wanted after I helped him out a while ago. He got shot in the leg and deliriously called me instead of Batman. I found where he was, healed up his leg, and took him back to the Batcave.” He and Dick had agreed that they’d pretend this was why Dick started coming over.

“And how did Nightwing get your number to begin with?” Zatanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. Alright, so she had a bit of a point. It _was _a bit odd for Etrigan’s host to have the number of the original Boy Wonder. Luckily, they’d also found a good cover for that question as well.

“Most likely after the Justice League was sent back in time. As I’m sure you can recall, I’d been recruited as a temporary member, and Nightwing’d been the leader. I probably gave him my number after everyone was brought to the present.” Jason shrugged, before adopting a faintly frustrated edge to his voice. “I don’t know for sure; you know how my _mind_ can be.”

At the still unconvinced look on Zatanna’s face, he frowned ever so slightly. He needed a distraction, and luckily, he knew the perfect one. ‘Operation Memory’ he mentally demanded.

**I don’t appreciate your incriminations, get this over with and inform me of your accusations.** He could practically feel Etrigan’s wide smirk.

Jason felt a sneer curl his face. “Don’t play dumb, you know what I’m talking about.”

**I do? **Etrigan innocently asked.

“You’re always fucking around with my memories,” Jason irritably spat out. Alright, so maybe he was getting a little too worked up right now. Although, he had every reason to be upset.

Etrigan scoffed in his head. **Name one time.**

“One time? One time? How about August 1st, 1917?” Jason hissed out, his eyes flashing.

Etrigan remained silent for a moment. **The blame for that lies solely with you, I’ve said it before. If you hadn’t been trying to use me to end the war...**

Jason felt his anger increase at that. “Excuse me? The blame for that day falls squarely on your shoulders. Besides, _you_ were the one who _erased_ a millennium and a half of _my _memories.”

Etrigan shifted, seeming slightly guilty. Good, Jason cruelly thought to himself where he knew Etrigan couldn’t hear him. He should feel guilty over what he did. **I wasn’t good at magic, you know- **Etrigan started to say.

“I wasn’t good at magic,” Jason mockingly repeated. “Cut me a damn break. After Merlin was so _kind _as to restore all of my memories, I realized you’ve been messing around with my head since _day one_. So, don’t pretend like you-” He was cut off by a slap to the face, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Jason!” Zatanna snapped out, looking irritated.

Jason blinked in surprise, before giving Zatanna an apologetic look. “Sorry, Zee,” he murmured, trying to sound as sincere as possible. At Etrigan’s low snicker, he assumed he wasn’t doing a good job.

Zatanna huffed, before turning her attention back to John. “Stay away from Nightwing or else,” she hissed.

“You can’t control me, Zee, I’ll do whatever the bloody hell I want. If I were you, I’d check out several of the local magazines, they got a bunch of good images of us.” John spat out, looking angry.

John and Zatanna glared at each other for a few moments, before Zatanna disappeared.

John collapsed back in the chair, looking exhausted as grabbed his phone and started texting, all the while muttering insults about Zatanna.

“I’ll be back,” he informed John, before making his way to his basement. “Good job,” he lowly said as he started searching through his alcohol racks. Etrigan preened in his head, seeming amused.

Once he located 2 decently old bottles of whiskey, he grabbed them before heading back. He placed one of the bottles in John’s lap, who gave him a startled look. “We both could use these,” he deadpanned.

A faint grin curled John’s face. “You’re my _favorite _magician, did I ever mention that?”

“Once or twice, but I always enjoy hearing it,” Jason said with a strained smile.

They looked at each other, before letting out identical sighs. “Damn, she was really pissed off this time,” John irritably grumbled as he took a slug from the bottle.

“Well, what did you expect? I’m pretty sure she still has a crush on Dick. That coupled with the fact that _you _‘seduced’ Dick, and I’m surprised you’re not dead.” Jason shrugged ever so slightly as he also took a drink.

“Thanks for distracting Zatanna,” John smirked at him.

Jason flashed him a cold smile. “Glad to be of assistance. Of course, I can’t do that around Zee any time in the near future...”

John snickered lowly, before becoming serious. “I hope she doesn’t get too angry at Dick.”

“She’ll probably just lecture him.” Jason grimaced before a thought came to mind. “You know, I’m betting the reason why Batman didn’t get too upset is that he knew Zee would be furious enough for the both of them.”

John’s eyes went wide at that. “That makes sense. He’s dealt with Zatanna enough times to know her opinions of me and how she’d hypothetically react to this situation.”

They shared tired looks at that, before going back to drinking. After a few, John’s phone rang, and he eagerly picked it up. “Are your eardrums still intact?”

Dick let out a long sigh on the other end. “Miraculously. I got treated to a nice lecture about what a horrible, shitty person you are. Everyone wisely cleared out of the Batcave, which I don’t blame them for. I know I shouldn’t believe any of what she’s claimed you’ve done but...”

John let out a morose, bitter laugh. “Trust me, luv. I can guarantee you she’s 100% accurate in what she said.”

“Sorry for dragging you into all of this, Jason,” Dick apologetically said after a few.

A faint smile curled his face at Dick’s concern. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been overdue for a lecture from Zee anyways, I might as well get it out of the way on something insignificant.”

Dick let out a startled laugh, clearly not expecting that answer. “Ya know John, the next time you’re really pissed off at Zee, you could always give me a call and we can figure something out.”

John smirked coldly, his eyes gleaming. “That sounds like a _great _idea, luv.”

Dick giggled, seeming amused. “I’ll try to stop by within a week or two, Jason.”

“Don’t worry if you can’t, I know you’re busy.” Jason shrugged his shoulders, trying to ignore the pang of loneliness at the idea that Dick wouldn’t get the chance.

“I’ll figure something out.” Dick had adopted an insistent tone that touched him. “I gotta go, I’ll see you both later.”

“See you,” John and Jason both said before Dick hung up.

“Well, _that _was fun,” John dryly got out as he took another swig of his drink.

Jason snorted in amusement. “I think that was enough excitement to last me a lifetime,” he deadpanned.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” John rolled his eyes at that, before finishing off the alcohol. “You got another bottle?”

Jason let out a low sigh, before draining the rest of his and getting up. “Sure, I’d say we deserve it.” He somewhat unsteadily made his way back to the basement, before grabbing two more bottles and heading back.

“Cheers, mate. To surviving Zatanna,” John slurred ever so slightly once he passed him one of the bottles.

“To surviving Zatanna,” Jason echoed as they clinked their bottles together and started drinking again.

Normally, he considered himself above day drinking like John was in the habit of doing, but this was a special occasion. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, he justified to himself, ignoring Etrigan’s mocking snicker in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen a fair amount of stories about Tarantula getting her dues over what she did to Dick, or at least mentioning it. Hell, even I wrote one into this story. However, I'm pretty sure there aren't many about what Mirage did to Dick. Let's just say that John will quickly find Mirage and make her pay off-screen. 
> 
> So far, the only stories I've seen that really addresses what Mirage did to Dick are "The Gray" and "Poison" both by ForeverLilacLies. They're really good, you should check them out. 
> 
> In case you were wondering about Etrigan's 'talk to my aunt' line, he's referring to Raven. In the New 52, Raven is canonically Etrigan's aunt, which I find absolutely hilarious. I figured Raven would be more than willing to help get revenge, with what Trigon did to her mother Arella leading to her conception.


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long this is taking to update. Classes are kicking my ass, and I have a million assignments I'm procrastinating on like normal. Now that I got this chapter out, I'm going to finish up "I'm Ready". Once that's done and over with, I'm going to stick to this fic unless inspiration strikes elsewhere.

Jason’s eyes lit up when he heard a familiar knock on the door a couple of weeks later late at night. He got up and opened it up, revealing a beaming Dick. “You don’t have to knock and wait for me to answer. You can just come right inside, I don’t mind. That’s what everyone else does.”

Don’t get him wrong, he definitely appreciated how courteous Dick was acting. It was kind of refreshing, to be honest. However, it was just weird. He was used to the magicians just teleporting inside and Batman climbing in through the window.

“I prefer not to act rude like Batman; who sneaks up on people and leaves mid-sentence when their backs are turned.” Dick grinned wryly at him as he came inside.

Jason chuckled at that, having been on the receiving end of Batman’s impoliteness quite often over the years. “Well, it’s nice to see that today’s youth still have some manners,” he teased.

Dick snorted, seeming amused to hear that, before falling silent. Once they were in the living room, Dick carefully sat down on the couch.

“Tea?” Jason asked, knowing what the answer would be.

“Yes please,” Dick happily stated, looking eager.

Jason fondly shook his head once he was in the kitchen; he didn’t think he’d ever seen a young adult this excited to drink tea. Then again, Dick wasn’t a normal person by any means.

Just as he finished pouring in the tea into the cups, he hesitated ever so slightly. He pursed his lips, before going over to his potions cabinet and rummaging around until he found what he wanted.

A healing potion, one that he’d created a long time ago. It didn’t instantly heal wounds right in front of your eyes, far from it. No, it took a long time to accumulate in the body, helping to speed up healing to a slight unnatural level.

Of course, the centuries of taking it daily definitely helped him out. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a wound that hadn’t healed up within minutes to hours. After all, just because he was immortal via Etrigan, didn’t mean he couldn’t bleed and die.

He just couldn’t explain it, but whenever he looked at Dick, he got the oddest desire to protect him. He hadn’t felt like this towards anyone in a long time. And it wasn’t like Dick was a complete stranger, he’d been around him several times in the past. But he’d never gotten this urge before.

Dick had stopped by several times now. Was that it? Because Dick was taking time out of his extremely busy schedules to come by and visit? He didn’t have to. He could’ve just come by the first time after he healed his leg, stayed for 5 minutes, and then left and never returned. But Dick had stayed for a while, then come by this and the last time without prompting. Maybe that was where he was getting the protective streak from.

Or was seeing first-hand the danger Dick routinely threw himself at making him concerned for Dick’s safety? After all, if he hadn’t gotten to Dick in time and healed his leg... Dick would most likely be on crutches for months and be left with a permanent limp. A limp that would be highly dangerous in Dick’s line of work, one that could potentially get him killed with his highly acrobatic and mobile style of fighting.

Jason frowned pensively, before mentally storing the train of thought away to be examined later once Dick had left. He easily ignored the curious stirrings in his mind that came from Etrigan, who seemed interested.

Without any further delay, he poured a dose into the tea. He was suddenly grateful Dick liked sugar in his tea, which would help to cover it up. Unfortunately, despite centuries of experimentation, he’d been unable to get rid of the slightly pungent taste and smell without sacrificing the necessary healing properties.

Well, he could always claim that the tea was a particularly bitter type, one he’d found in a faraway land.

He dumped a ton of sugar into the cup and stirred it in, before taking it and his back into the living room. He handed Dick’s cup to him and settled down in his chair. He carefully observed as Dick raised the cup to his lips and took a sip.

To his utter relief, Dick didn’t even grimace at the taste. If anything, he looked even more thrilled. “This stuff is amazing! Where’d you find it?”

“I think somewhere in Asia, perhaps China or Japan.” Jason shrugged, that tea had been in his cabinets for decades. Besides, he had a pretty bad memory when it came to how he found most of his acquisitions. Not exactly a good thing sometimes, but it really couldn’t be helped. He had a millennium and a half of memories in his head, so some things naturally went to the wayside.

Jason slowly sipped his tea, enjoying the companionship. After a few, he noticed Dick was repeatedly opening and closing his mouth, seeming unsure about something.

“I don’t bite,” Jason drawled, before wryly muttering “But Etrigan? He can be a mouthy bastard; you have to be careful when fighting him.”

**I am not, **Etrigan irritably grumbled, causing Jason to smirk.

Dick’s lips twitched in amusement before he became serious. “You’ve lived for a long time.”

Jason raised a curious eyebrow. “I have.”

“You’ve lived through a lot of events,” Dick carefully stated, seeming hesitant.

“I have,” Jason patiently repeated, unsure of where this was going.

Dick bit his lip, seeming nervous. “Are there any historically significantly important ones you happen to remember?

Jason blinked in surprise before he realized what Dick was worried about. He’d made it quite clear over the years that he was pretty bitter about his immortality. Dick had probably feared that reminding him about that would upset him.

However, one of the only silver linings to his _situation_, it was that he got to witness a lot of history. Mostly the dark side of it, but still history, nevertheless. And if there was one thing he enjoyed above all else, it was an audience with nothing better to do than listen to an immortal ramble on for _hours_ on end. He’d like to think that he was a pretty good storyteller, and he knew most of the magical community would agree with that assessment.

“Would you like to hear about some of them?” A faint smile curled his face at the way Dick’s eyes eagerly lit up.

“If you don’t mind,” Dick tried to calmly get out, doing a poor job of hiding his excitement. “I mean, it’s not often you get to talk to someone who’s witnessed history firsthand.”

Jason took another sip of his tea, before setting the cup down on a side table. “I’d _love _to.”

Jason wasn’t sure of how long he talked, his hands gesturing more wildly the longer he went on. A wide smile was slowly lighting up his face, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this enthusiastic. To his delight, Dick was perched on the edge of his seat, teacup abandoned in favor of listening with rapt attention.

**Tell the bluebird about sixty-three, he’ll find that fascinating I guarantee. **Etrigan suddenly purred out without warning, just as he was catching his breath for a moment.

Jason jumped ever so slightly, not expecting that after the complete radio silence while he had been recalling memories. “I suppose,” he warily murmured, before turning to Dick. “There’s a certain event I think you’d be interested in. However, you _need _to keep quiet about it. If the wrong people find out, I could get in a lot of trouble.”

“I won’t say a word,” Dick promised, looking curious.

Jason hesitantly watched Dick for a moment, before sighing. “Well, I... ah...” he lowered his voice ever so slightly, “I think we might’ve killed Kennedy.”

Dick stared bewilderedly at him before his eyes went wide after a moment. “_John F. _Kennedy?”

“Yeah.” Jason nervously said, wary of Dick’s reaction.

“Was it Etrigan? Did he assassinate the president?” To his surprise, Dick looked excited and thrilled; instead of horrified and disgusted as he had expected.

Jason grimaced, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I was down in Texas for some reason. On November 21, the last thing I remember was opening the door to my hotel room. The next thing I know, I’m lying in an alley on November 24 with gunpowder residue on my hands. I have absolutely no memories of those 4 days, and Etrigan’s never said anything otherwise about what might’ve occurred.”

“Wow...” Dick eventually said, looking serious. “My lips are sealed, I promise.”

Jason relaxed ever so slightly at the sincerity he could sense coming from him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dick softly replied.

Jason lowly sighed, before standing up. “Come on, you should probably get going. Batman’s most likely wondering where you are.”

“Nah, tonight’s my night off. We all get one once a week, although not all at once.” Dick shrugged ever so slightly, before giving him a wry grin. “Course, B doesn’t take any breaks, but we all know how he is.”

Jason chuckled at that, before frowning at Dick, who hadn’t made any moves to leave.

Dick was expectantly staring at him, looking hopeful. “I’d love to hear more about any events you’ve lived through.”

Jason blinked in surprise before his eyes softened. “How about I get you some more tea?”

“If you don’t mind.” Dick finished off the rest of his drink, before holding it out to him.

Jason took the cup and returned to the kitchen. He poured some more tea and sugar into Dick’s cup, before putting in a double dose of the healing potion. He carefully stirred it all in, before taking it back into the living room and handing it back to Dick. Dick took with a small thanks, taking a sip.

“So, where was I before Kennedy?” Jason asked once he settled in his chair, shooting Dick a confused look.

Dick pursed his lips, seeming thoughtful. “I think you were telling me about the Wild West.”

“Ah, right. So, I went into the bar and...” Jason eagerly started to recall the tale.

After a few more hours, he eventually sent Dick home. The moment Dick left, he got out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey mate!” John’s cheery voice answered after a few rings.

“Code Kennedy,” Jason gravely responded.

John sharply inhaled, seeming alarmed. “Who?”

“Nightwing,” Jason said with a grimace.

“Ooh.” Jason could practically see the leer on John’s face and the gleam in his eyes. “Standard procedure?”

Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Yes. Be delicate when explaining things to him.”

John audibly licked his lips, seeming eager. “I’m anything but _delicate_, you know that Jasey.”

“Just let me know how it goes.” Jason softly sighed.

“You too,” John replied, before hanging up.

A week later, Jason startled at a sharp knock. He got up and opened the door to reveal Dick. “Hi,” he cheerfully said, flashing Dick a bright grin.

This time, Dick didn’t return the smile as he came inside. His arms were crossed over his chest, an unimpressed look on his face.

“Tea?” Jason asked once they got to the living room.

Dick plopped down on the couch. “Yes, please,” he reluctantly got out.

Jason went out to the kitchen, before preparing the tea with a mixture of sugar and a healing potion.

Etrigan laughed in his head. **Doesn’t the bluebird look so cute when he’s all upset? I don’t understand how criminals could see him as a threat.**

Jason glanced over at Dick, who was practically pouting and chuckled. Dick _did _look rather adorable all riled up like this. Not, of course, that he’d ever tell Dick that. “I wouldn’t underestimate him if I were you,” he lowly murmured.

He took Dick’s cup and one for himself back out into the living room, before handing it to Dick.

“So, have you learned anything interesting recently?” Jason curiously asked as he settled in his chair, already knowing what Dick would say.

He grinned even wider at the glare Dick leveled him at that. “That wasn’t nice,” Dick eventually grumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Jason apologetically said, trying to hold back laughter.

Judging by the scowl Dick gave him, he didn’t sound that sincere. “You didn’t kill Kennedy,” Dick stated with an accusatory tone.

“I was in England when it happened.” Jason shrugged ever so slightly. “John and I thought it would be funny to see if we could trick people into thinking that I was behind one of the most famous assassinations in history.” He gave Dick a crooked smile, “Come on, is it really that farfetched?”

Dick slowly sighed, the tension bleeding out of him. “Your whole backstory requires a suspension of disbelief. I mean, it involves Camelot, which was thought to be a legend. So, I guess you killing a US President really isn’t that implausible.

“True,” Jason drawled wryly.

Dick stared at him for a moment, before his face hardened. “This was a test, wasn’t it? Tell me something shocking and see if I told Batman or anyone else.”

“I’m really sorry,” Jason murmured earnestly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve had problems in the past with the heroes finding out about my activities. I had to be sure you could keep my secrets.”

At the hurt look on Dick’s face, he quickly got out, “I had no doubt that you were trustworthy, but I had to be positive.”

He calmly held Dick’s gaze, trying to convey his sincerity. After a few, Dick slumped, seeming tired. “I’d be a hypocrite to get upset with you since I’ve done the same thing with everyone I know.”

Jason blinked in surprise before he felt a surge of realization. It had to be hard to have to be careful around everyone you met 24/7, starting at a young age. Who knew how often had Dick gotten hurt by trusting the wrong people? Especially since Dick was hiding huge secrets that could get people including himself killed.

“It’s Zatanna, isn’t it?” Dick said after a moment.

Jason startled at that, before nodding. “Zee means well, it’s just...”

“Frustrating?” Dick ran a hand through his hair, still looking slightly upset. “I purposefully told her something small I’d been hiding from Batman. Within a _week_ he was calling me to ask me about it."

Jason sympathetically grimaced at that. “I told her about Kennedy, and within _3 days_ she was on my doorstep accompanied by the Trinity.”

Dick’s jaw dropped, a shocked look on his face. “_No way_. She seriously didn’t tell the Justice League.”

“She did,” Jason smirked at the memory of what had happened. “I managed to keep a straight face for a few before I utterly _lost_ it. I almost broke a rib; I was laughing so hard. Wonder Woman eventually had to use her lasso on me in order to find out the truth.”

Dick grinned at him, a calculating gleam in his eyes. He had a feeling Dick would be using this as blackmail against the League, especially against Batman sometime in the near future.

“So, have you played the Kennedy trick on anyone else other than Zee and me?” Dick curiously asked after a few.

Jason chuckled lowly at that. “We’ve done this to almost the entire magical community and all of my friends.”

The moment the words left his mouth, it was almost like a light switch had been flipped. Dick suddenly looked thrilled, beaming delightedly at him. Jason blinked in surprise, confused as to what Dick was so excited about.

After a moment, Dick finished off his tea and got up. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I told B I needed to make a quick pitstop before heading home from patrol. I’ll see you around.”

“Stay safe,” Jason softly said.

Dick gave him a dazzling grin, before exiting through the window. Jason got up to close the window, watching as Dick got onto his motorcycle and drove off. As if he sensed he was being watched, Dick twisted around and briefly waved at him, a wide smile just barely visible. Jason hesitantly waved back, watching puzzledly even after Dick disappeared into the night.

**Idiot. **Etrigan sighed loudly after a while, seeming exasperated.

Jason bristled at the insult. “What?”

**We’ve done this to almost the entire magical community and all of my friends. **Etrigan repeated what he’d just told Dick. Jason frowned; he still couldn’t figure out what he’d unintentionally said. After a moment of silence, Etrigan rolled his eyes. **It’s really not that hard to comprehend, you implied that you consider the bluebird to be your friend.**

“Oh.” Oh. _Oh._ No wonder Dick was so happy to hear that. But _did_ he consider Dick his friend? Well, anyone that took the time to repeatedly come and visit him was automatically in his good books, to begin with.

At Dick’s last visit, he’d given Dick a chance to leave. He hadn’t initially intended to, but he had ended up talking about the more dark and eviler parts of history. And maybe his intention by doing that was to try to scare Dick off, make him understand that he wasn’t the nicest person around. That he’d done a lot of horrible things over the centuries, killed a lot of people.

But Dick hadn’t taken the opportunity to leave and never return. Instead, Dick had insisted on staying and hearing more. And then he’d come back; if only to call him out for the Kennedy lie.

Judging by how ecstatic Dick looked by the accidental declaration, Dick seemed to feel the same way. Then again, he’d heard that Dick was good at making friends with everyone he met, even the most unlikely people. Well, he’d definitely qualify as _that_.

After a bit of contemplation, he firmly decided yes, he did consider Dick his friend.

Jason shivered as he suddenly felt a gust of cold air blast into the room. It took a moment for him to realize that the window was still open, and he hastily closed it. He yawned ever so slightly and glanced over at the clock. Christ, it was after 3 in the morning. Crazy insomniac bats, Jason mentally grumbled.

He made his way to his bedroom, before quickly drifting off. For the first time in ages, he slept peacefully, not plagued by nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired by the fact that Bucky Barnes and a few other fictional characters have killed JFK, and thought it would be funny to put my own spin on it. The next chapter shouldn't come for a while, unfortunately. All I'm going to say is it is going to be a lot less lighthearted and heartwarming.


End file.
